The Path to Darkness
by G3rMan
Summary: Minato Namikaze taught his students to never abandon their comrades, so he followed through by saving Obito from certain death. When Orochimaru came after him, Minato protected Obito again. In return, Orochimaru took something precious of Minato's. Naruto must find his own answer to protect those close to him and save them from the path of darkness the world is stuck on. NaruFemIta


_The Path to Darkness_

* * *

><p>For what felt like the first time, Naruto opened his eyes to the world around him. The lights and sounds of a heavy commotion had shaken him from his slumber. His vision must have been affected as he could only see a murky green film around his body. Bubbles came from below, where his nose was, and he started to realize he was inside of some sort of tube of liquid.<p>

How long had he been there? Better yet, just what _could_ he remember? Apart from the name Naruto, that had constantly echoed within his mind during his slumber, he had no idea who he was or what he had been doing.

From his dreams, a soft feminine voice had reached out to him and told him many things. What those things were, he now could not remember. He thought it might have been his mother, but the voice was distant, detached from him. Red hair was the only thing he could think of when he thought of his mother, and it warmed his body to entertain such a happy memory.

Naruto tried to look around more, but his vision was still obscured. When he tried to move his arms, he felt cold eels wrap around them. Something cold and slick had wrapped itself around his body to keep him suspended in the tank.

Where had the noise from before gone? The lights that danced in front of his eyelids while he dreamed had disappeared as well. Whatever was on the outside of the glass had quieted down.

Then, an explosion of light rocked the room. A doorway burst open with dark figures streaming in, and the shouting returned. The glass muffled the voices, but he strained his senses to listen.

"_Yondaime-sama, this must be the room!"_

"_Good. Secure the area and let none of them through."_

_Yondaime...?_

Naruto struggled to understand the words, but his vocabulary had not stretched that far. His body was frail and he was young, unable to escape from the bindings on his own. These people that spoke difficult words slowly disappeared into the interior's darkness, searching for something.

A few moments later, and the shouting began again. Frenzied movements and flashes of light covered the room as weapons and jutsu crossed. The attacks were lightning fast, too fast for Naruto's eyes to keep up with.

In just a few moments, the room fell deathly silent.

"_Area secured."_

More words, spoken in relief. The voices were getting closer now, and it was easier for him to hear the words that were spoken. He was still no closer to deciphering what they meant.

"_Minato-sensei...this is!"_

"_Orochimaru...what have you done?"_

On the opposite side of the glass, Naruto could sense something. Had they found him already?

"_How is this possible? He was born just a few weeks ago and already..."_

"_He may look older...but this is my son."_

Naruto's little hand pressed against the glass in a feeble attempt to escape. He wanted very much to leave the claustrophobic space, and he hoped the people out there would help him.

Against the glass, a much bigger hand reached for his. Through the murky water, Naruto could make out a head of blonde hair not too different from his own. Blue eyes and a soft smile reflected through the tank's covering.

More words, though these were difficult to hear because they were spoken softly. The tenderness in their voice was lost on Naruto, who had been out of contact with others since his birth.

"I found you, Naruto." Minato's eyes trembled when Naruto returned his gaze. "It's time to go home."

* * *

><p>"As was initially surmised, we have determined an unknown agent has been used on Naruto's body to force an as of yet unknown accelerated growth pattern on his cells."<p>

In the Hokage's office, both the Yondaime and Sandaime listened to the report from the Konoha Medical Corps. The liaison Tsunade had sent over was none other than Minato's old student, Rin Nohara. The brunette read from her notes with obvious dissatisfaction, as her team had struggled to offer a better analysis on what was ailing the Hokage's son.

Unfortunately, Orochimaru's so-called experiment that Naruto had been subjected to was still shrouded in mystery. Whatever the snake had done to him, he was able to accomplish in just a few days. By the time Minato had found him, the growth pattern had already started; Naruto, at only two months old, had the body and mind of a toddler.

"And, how does this affect Naruto's health?" Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, asked.

Minato's concern for his son had spread among the rest of the shinobi population that had been made aware of the brazen kidnapping. The grief-stricken parents needed answers and quickly so that the village could better support the ailing youth. Once they knew what was the matter with him, they could better take actions to help reverse or at least stop the aging.

Rin deposited her notes on the Hokage's desk as she had prepared the page concerning Naruto's current status. While the Yondaime feverishly scanned the document, the young medical captain offered her own opinion.

"As of yet, Naruto has exhibited no obvious signs of pain, disease, or other ailment. The aging effect seems to be the only current issue with his health."

That was a small relief, but it did not allow them to rest so easily. Complications could arise without a moment's notice, especially concerning abnormal growth patterns.

"So..." For the first time since the briefing began, the Yondaime spoke up. "How exactly does this affect Naruto's body? Do we have an estimation on how fast he is growing?"

Rin's frown deepened as the question waded into the unknown. They were still trying to determine the answers the Yondaime so desperately sought.

"Unfortunately, we don't have a full analysis of his condition. From what we have observed, both his physical body and mental capacity is developing as it normally would, just in a very short time span."

Given some luck, Naruto would be able to keep up with his body's growth and fully understand his own bodily functions at a normal rate. If they were careful, they may even be able to craft together an accelerated learning program to keep his competency normal for his projected age; Naruto had so far displayed basic comprehension and speech mannerisms, two things that he should not have been having with such complexity for many more months.

"We believe that, for now, his growth is proceeding at quadruple the normal development cycle." Upon hearing that, the Hokages' frowns only deepened with worry. "Tsunade-sama believes that this speed is because the elixir is still fresh in Naruto's system. After a few years, she believes it will resemble a 2:1 ratio of his age versus the normal rate."

Hiruzen bit on the edge of his pipe and took a long drag from its contents. His student had really gone too far, to do such a thing to an infant.

"So, we can surmise Orochimaru specifically developed the elixir to have this initial rate of growth?"

"That is correct, Sandaime-sama."

The Sandaime sighed and felt the need to check on Minato. The man had his face buried within his own hands, struggling to think of an answer, a way to fix the damage that had been done. Even as Hokage though, there were moments of helplessness like this. The situation was only made worse because it was Minato's own son that was the one affected.

"If this process isn't reversed in time, what will happen to Naruto?" Minato asked with such a tone that made it clear he had already thought of the worst case.

"If this process isn't halted, Naruto's growth will continue to the point where his body will begin to shut down. He will suffer from any issues and ailments common to those who are advanced in age, as well as developing some unique to his condition."

The Sandaime considered making a joke at his own expense considering the difficult lives of the elderly, but thought better of it. Minato was already struggling enough, now was not the time to try and lighten a very well darkened mood.

"Can a cure be developed?" Minato had to ask the most important question on his mind.

He was sure though that if such a thing were possible, Rin would have stopped his inner torment a long while ago. Still, he had to find the silver lining somewhere; when he went to the hospital to tell Kushina, he had to offer her something. The child in danger was _theirs_, and Kushina would not be able to handle the loss of her baby.

That child meant everything to her, no matter what experiments Orochimaru subjected him to. The same went for Minato.

"Unfortunately," Rin tried to clear her throat, as even she was starting to find it difficult to speak. "the elixir has already run its course through Naruto's body so reverse-engineering is impossible."

Minato slammed his fist onto the desk in a short fit of anger. His outburst quieted Rin and forced the Sandaime to return his focus to his younger compatriot.

"Damn that Orochimaru." The laboratory that they found Naruto in was booby trapped and had been destroyed when they took him back. "Without the lab, we can't even..."

For now, there were no words of comfort to be offered. The silence in the room quickly became unbearable for all those involved.

Rin found it more than difficult to see her sensei in such a broken state. With all her efforts to become a proficient medical ninja, more than her pride had been hurt when she realized she could do nothing to save Naruto.

"Thank you, Rin," Minato said, after the uncomfortable pause. "We can handle the rest here. Watch over Kushina until I arrive."

"Yes, Yondaime-sama."

Once the young Konoha-nin had seen herself out, Minato collapsed back into his seat. Whatever strength he had put on display for her just fizzled out of his body.

Then, just as soon as he looked as if he had given up, Minato rose to his feet. A look of determination that had so often been painted on his face as a young shinobi finally returned. He turned to Hiruzen, whom had patiently been waiting for him to make a decision.

"Hiruzen-sama, I cannot stand idly by while Naruto stays in this condition. My heart will not rest easy until I know Orochimaru has been caught and that my son is safe."

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes as he was unable to follow Minato's thinking. Just what exactly did he have in mind?

"What do you mean, Minato?"

From his desk drawer, Minato took out a small green scroll and placed it in his equipment pouch. The nearby coat rack was raided for his white jacket, emblazoned with his title on the back.

"I will recall Jiraiya-sensei, since I believe he and I can better track Orochimaru down." Minato readied himself to leave as the Sandaime continued to wait for him to reach his point, though he had started to catch on. "Forgive my selfishness, but I will have to ask you help during the times I'm away."

"Minato, are you saying _you_ will be the one to find Orochimaru? You know as Hokage you cannot move around so freely; the village needs you here."

There came a time for every Hokage where they had to face a decision that might have required them to choose between selfishness and sacrifice. What decision they made often had long lasting effects on the village they protected, and Hiruzen was afraid Minato was making the wrong one this time.

"I am afraid that given the war's continuing presence, the village will not be able to spare men for an operation to catch Orochimaru. However, with my space-time ninjutsu, I can return to the village at a moment's notice."

Iwagakure remained a threat along the border with Kusagakure, and with Kumogakure prowling in the north they needed to be ready at a moment's notice. Minato would not so selfishly put the village in danger by assigning shinobi away from their most crucial positions for what would end up as a ghost hunt. Only Jiraiya and he had a chance of finding Orochimaru in a reasonable time frame.

"Nor do I believe ordinary shinobi can catch that man." Minato added with sharpness in his voice.

"As I am no longer the Hokage, I cannot stop you from taking this direct action, but I would strongly advise against it." Hiruzen narrowed his eyes as Minato remained resolute in his decision. "Should our enemies realize you are outside of the village, not only will it put your life in danger, but the Land of Fire may very well face full invasion."

With no allies, not even Konoha could survive such an attack.

"Yes, I'm afraid I have considered those possibilities all too much since I took the seat of the Hokage. However, I believe Orochimaru took my son and forced him through this ordeal for a reason; that reason may very well be a greater threat than all of the other nations combined, considering his hatred of Konoha, and _you_."

Minato's unsubtle reminder of the Sandaime's weakness in capturing Orochimaru did not go unnoticed. It was true that if he had been able to defeat his pupil, then Minato and Kushina would not have to suffer as they were now.

Their standoff lasted for a few more moments before Hiruzen gave in. With a curt bow, he agreed to shoulder the responsibilities of the Hokage for his chosen successor. At times like these, dissension was a village's greatest threat; they had to stand united if they wanted to find the solution.

Minato made his way to the door as he finished his preparations. Before that, he waited for a satisfying answer.

"Very well, Minato. I'll do what I can when you are out of the village, but never stay gone for long. I don't think Kushina could handle losing you, after your son."

Minato turned, his eyes like sharpened spears.

"That is where you are wrong, Hiruzen; Kushina and I haven't lost our son, not yet."

And in a flash, he was gone.

The Sandaime hesitantly took his place at the desk and sifted through a few dossiers that had been left behind. Before the kidnapping, Minato and Sarutobi were going to finalize their decision on Kushina and Naruto's ANBU protection candidates.

As he opened the folder, he was met with the picture of their first candidate; Minato's own Kakashi Hatake. The boy had volunteered himself for the ANBU shortly after the Kannabi bridge mission in Kusa; with the near death of both his comrades, Kakashi never wanted them to be put in such a position again. As a member of the village's elite organization, he hoped to take on those missions himself so that his friends could survive.

With such dedication to the village and his fellow shinobi, Minato knew that Kakashi was the right choice for squad leader.

Among the others, Yugao and Gazelle both were young and very skilled kunoichi. For Kushina, a female touch would be more than welcome, so that had been settled.

And, if Naruto survived until his graduation from the academy, Minato had already expressed to Hiruzen his desire to see his final student become his son's personal teacher.

* * *

><p>Hidden in the trees, a cloaked figure watched as a young woman walked through the town with her son. She had fiery red hair and walked with an air of confidence, but behind his mask, Kakashi could tell Kushina was very much excited. The blonde boy at her side that so much resembled his father was already graduating from the Academy, and the ceremony was happening today.<p>

It had been almost six years since Naruto's birth, making him half the age of the majority of his classmates. His growth had become well pronounced, as his body more closely resembled the genin he was becoming than the academy student his age might have found more appropriate. He held himself high as he followed his mother, and the people that passed by greeted him warmly as they recognized the son of the Yondaime.

Apparently, Naruto had become a prodigy during his single year in the academy. Despite his young age, he was already set to be the top of class as he left to become a full fledged shinobi.

_Natural affinity with three natures, displayed an A-rank technique for his graduation test, unbeaten in the sparring matches..._

Naruto was starting to sound like Kakashi, the more the ANBU thought about it.

And despite the still unknown experimentation he suffered from Orochimaru, Naruto had remained a normal boy. Kakashi and his team had been watching over the family for some years now, ever since Minato began his expeditions out of the village to find Orochimaru. Not once had Naruto or Kushina given in to fear or despair; both of them were strong like that.

Naruto and his mother had finally arrived at the academy gates. As they entered into the already growing procession of young shinobi and their parents, Kakashi took up his post in a nearby tree.

The rest of his team was already at the building, in varying locations, in order to ensure the family's safety during the big event. So far, they had avoided a single incident occurring to Kushina or Naruto, and Kakashi planned to keep it that way. His team was well trained and considered the most elite under the Hokage's control, and they had earned that title through their top performance.

Luckily, the only real threat to Naruto was from the outside, which was already made difficult with the existence of countless other Konoha shinobi watching the village around the clock. The people of the village loved Naruto and Kushina, despite her status as jinchuuriki. For that reason, Konoha had been largely at peace within its own walls, and for a growing generation of shinobi, that was the best gift that could be offered in a time of conflict.

Concerning his own team and their losses during the war, Kakashi had to consider himself lucky. He almost lost Rin and Obito both to Iwagakure, but Minato sensei had saved them just in time. Now, as he shared the sharingan with Obito, they both fought for the village's future in their own way.

Rin trained under the returned Tsunade of the Sannin to become a captain in the Medical Corps, while Obito trained his hardest to become acknowledged by his clan and the village. His hard work had recently paid off, and he had been made a jonin of Konoha with Minato's order.

And it was after today that Obito hoped he could take on the role of Naruto's teacher. To watch over his sensei's son and instill in him the same ideals that Minato offered the three of them, that was the ultimate gift Obito felt he could offer the Yondaime for saving him and Rin.

_Well, I don't think the decision will be all that difficult for Minato-sensei to make..._

Kakashi sat down on the branch and tried to relax. Kushina and Naruto had already entered the building, so he was on perimeter duty for now. As usual, it was a beautiful day in Konoha so he wanted to enjoy it when he could.

On his left side, another person from his team arrived. Forgoing the usual cloak, they simply wore the standard issue armor of the black ops group. The body armor, while in itself designed to be light and maneuverable, hugged the young woman's body in such a way to accentuate her femininity, despite her hiding behind a weasel mask.

"Welcome back, captain." She greeted him with her usual formal tone.

Being an Uchiha, and the clan heiress at that, she was raised rather well. Despite being in such an organization that rarely stood for titles or reputation, she remained respectable to everyone she ever interacted with. It was a part of her charm, Kakashi supposed.

Her kind attitude might have also been the reason the others often questioned whether or not the girl was cut out for their duties.

"Thanks, Itachi."

Kakashi invited her to sit with him with a lazy gesture to the branch beneath her feet. The small girl, who was only eleven years of age, took him up on the offer after a moment's hesitation.

"Oh, you used my name so casually," she said in deadpan, as if she were trying to be concerned.

But, Kakashi had quickly caught on to her dry humor since he became her superior.

"Well, it's all the same right?"

"Yes, I suppose you are right." They shared a moment of silence, before Itachi spoke up again. "Yugao is posted near the classroom and has reported no anomalies so far."

Itachi never avoided official business for long. That was one of the qualities that made her mesh well with their organization, as she handled the mission given to her with utmost respect and care.

"Good." Kakashi responded with some lack of enthusiasm.

There was no doubt in his mind that his team was not already performing their duties, so he had not bothered to ask. Besides, he knew that Itachi planned on informing him anyway.

"But, Naruto-kun has really grown up fast. To already be graduating with this class, considering his age, is impressive. Do you think..." Itachi tried to make conversation concerning their charge, but she hesitated to bring up the sensitive subject of Orochimaru.

"No, I don't think his success has anything to do with Orochimaru. Considering who his father is, I couldn't see Naruto ending up any less successful than he is now."

The same rang true for all of the prodigies that had graduated from the academy; Kakashi with his father, and Itachi with hers. When they were expected to meet such expectations, the successful ones did not shy away from the task.

That was why Naruto was so successful, and that was why Kakashi imagined he would keep being successful.

And so, he could only imagine his sensei returning triumphantly to the village with Naruto's cure. That was what Kakashi thought, because he believed in the Yondaime more than anyone in the village.

* * *

><p>"Ah, man. I'm so fed up with the little blonde brat!"<p>

In a small restaurant, three friends had chosen to meet up and have lunch together. Their discussion had quickly shifted to current events, and Obito decided he could not hold his feelings in any longer. He finally shared with Kakashi and Rin his true opinion of the Uzumaki prodigy that had graduated less than a year ago from the academy.

"Obito, cut it out. You shouldn't speak that way about sensei's kid." Rin scolded him as the shameless Uchiha turned heads his way.

In his outburst, Obito had actually stood up from his seat to make his point. He waved his arms about in frustration while Kakashi tried to pretend he did not exist. Rin attempted to calm Obito down, to no avail.

"But Rin, he's _way_ too smart! At this rate, I'll have no choice but to give him approval for the chunin exams. He's barely seven years old!"

Obito finally sat back down, but crossed his arms in childish objection.

Rin had a crooked smile as she struggled to imagine her teammate as a jonin. Somehow, she was sure Minato-sensei had taken pity on him.

Kakashi finally turned back to them when the fallout of the outburst had cleared up. He did not appear to be as concerned about Naruto's progress, which annoyed the one eyed instructor.

"You know, Obito, I became a chunin a year after graduating too."

Rin placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder in simple agreement.

"That's right. You should see this as a good thing; you must have taught him something really good."

Obito earned a big smile when he heard Rin say that, his ego eager to re-inflate.

"Well of course! I _am_ the best teacher this generation of shinobi has ever seen!" Obito jabbed his thumb arrogantly at his own chest, bellowing out praise to himself.

Kakashi looked away again, mumbling something about how they were all doomed if that was the real case. Luckily, he was saved from the inevitable headache inducing fight when Rin quickly said something so Obito would not hear.

Those two would never change, Kakashi thought. He wondered how long it would take before they started to acknowledge each other.

Well, they all had some time to think.

* * *

><p>Kushina took her seat in the Hokage's assembly chambers as the last of the village's shinobi arrived. Today was a very special day for her family, and Naruto in particular. That was why Minato had especially ensured his presence as he sat alongside the Sandaime at the head of the room. His eyes locked with Kushina's, and he gave her a comforting nod.<p>

The decision was not even about her, and yet she could not stop her nerves from getting the better of her. She tried to calm herself as Minato called for the meeting to start.

"I've assembled you all to discuss the matter of Naruto Uzumaki's pending promotion to jonin."

Feverish whispers were shared between the shinobi gathered as rumors of his impending promotion had been spread throughout the village. Since he completed the chunin exams just a few years ago, the boy had made considerable progress in proving his ability to carry out difficult, life-threatening missions for the village. While he was still technically no older than ten years old, his body and mind had matured to that of a young adult.

His thirst for knowledge and desire for acknowledgment had been made well known around the village. Wherever he felt he could be of most use, Naruto was there helping. He truly was the son of a Hokage, and everyone saw the makings of another great leader in him. The only question was if he was progressing too quickly for his own sake.

"With the villagers' overwhelming support in Naruto's nomination, I bring the question to you all: is Naruto Uzumaki ready to join our ranks?"

A pang of regret echoed in Kushina's heart as she thought of her son, and how fast he had grown into this position. In a way, she felt that his childhood had been robbed from not only him, but her as well. She had always looked forward to watching her son slowly grow into a man, so she could coddle him all along the way.

But, life had ways of turning her hopes and dreams into nightmares.

Perhaps that was too strong of a word. Naruto was very happy with where he was in life, and expressed little regret in his condition despite being fully aware of its results. So, in turn, Kushina wanted to still be the coddling mother and support him all along the way.

That was why she did not hesitate to show her approval of Naruto's promotion. As much as it was true that he was too young for the role, he was at the very same time at the perfect stage of his shinobi career to take on the position of jonin. She was afraid that if they held him back, he would grow disillusioned with all the work he had put in at that point laid to the side as useless.

Kushina believed her son was holding himself together by trying to be as useful to the village and his fellow shinobi as he possibly could. He was more aware of his own mortality than anyone else, and she feared that he saw in his life an early death for himself. So, before he died, he must have wanted to give his all for the village.

Until Minato could find that cure, and capture that snake Orochimaru, Kushina had to think of her son's wishes and put them first. Kakashi, Obito, and Rin saw things the same way as they too attested for Naruto's readiness in their own appeals.

Naruto did not want power for the sake of it, nor did he want attention; he wanted to protect the village his father and the others had worked so hard to build.

Kushina realized she had started to cry and did her best to recover before anyone could see.

"Then, if there are no further objections, the Sandaime and I have reached a conclusion," Minato said at the conclusion of everyone's personal appeals.

His straight face quickly broke with a smile.

"Please everyone, welcome Naruto Uzumaki as the village's newest jonin."

Together, everyone began to clap from their seats as Naruto stood up from the front row and presented himself to the Hokage. First, he bowed to his father and they shared a moment together. Next, to the Sandaime and his unrelenting support for Naruto.

And last, Naruto turned back to everyone and bowed deeply. When they could see his face, Kushina saw the biggest smile she had ever seen her son have. She was sure she could see the glistening tears stream down his cheeks just as hers were.

"Thank you very much!"

Kushina could not take it anymore and stood up from her spot. She ran to her son and enveloped him in a bone crushing hug, much to the surprise and amusement of most of those gathered.

"You finally did it! Oh, Naruto, I'm so proud, ya know?!"

Minato thought about stepping in to save his son from his mother's embarrassing actions, but he thought better of it. The family moment was too sweet for him to easily break.

* * *

><p>Naruto sat under the shade of one of the many trees that covered the village's training grounds. He was waiting, somewhat impatiently, for his father to arrive. An offer from his father to personally train together was a rare occurrence, considering how often he was out of the village on official duties, so Naruto had made sure to arrive early.<p>

Despite how nice of a day it was, Naruto considered himself on duty and had on the village's flak jacket, in addition to dark underclothes and pants. Training in uniform made it easier for Naruto to envision himself using what he learned in training during a real battle. Not to mention, he felt more comfortable wearing clothes that he had earned.

He knew his father would never ignore him or miss an appointment, but the wait still bothered him all the same. Considering his recent promotion to jonin, Naruto knew that he had a greater responsibility to the village than ever before. The training his father offered meant he was one more step of the way toward meeting everyone's expectations.

Sitting around was not his idea of fun, so Naruto decided to stop lazing about and warm up before his father arrived. One thing he noticed about his accelerated growth was the fact his body was pretty sore until a good exercise. The medical shinobi said that it was an unfortunate side effect of his body's muscles and bones constantly tearing and expanding.

_Not much I can do about it for now..._

Naruto began his exercises with a bit of enthusiasm as he reminded himself how rare it was for his father to have time to train him anymore. To decide to start training together again must have meant something important was going on. Maybe he had finally finished work outside of the village?

"Naruto."

His father's speed was as impressive as always; Naruto had not even sensed his arrival until his father had placed a hand on his shoulder.

Father and son met each other in a short embrace. The years had not been so kind on Minato, as signs of stress had started to settle in. A small scar under his left eye signified where he had narrowly avoided a venomous snake's bite. Still, every bit of him showed the development of a grizzled veteran of Konoha, and a powerful Hokage.

"I take it you are ready to train?" Minato asked, his voice still as gentle as always.

"That's right. I was just getting warmed up!"

Naruto's excitement was enough to bring a smile to his father's lips. Despite all the hardships their family had to go through to get to that point, they could all still find time to be thankful for their place. That was what Minato was fighting for now after more than ten years.

Minato was close, so very _close_ to ending everything. That was why he knew he had to teach his son something before he left, so that the next time they met, they would both be the shinobi they wanted to be.

"Tou-san, you okay?"

Naruto had noticed Minato had spaced out, an event that become more commonplace over the years.

"Of course." Minato brushed off Naruto's concerns. "Today's training is really important, after all. I was just thinking of the proper way to start."

After another moment or two, Minato simply shrugged and held out his hand.

"I guess I should just show off the technique I want to teach you."

Gathering chakra in his hand, Minato applied a steady rotation and created a physical ball of swirling blue chakra. Naruto immediately recognized the technique as his father's Rasengan, a technique that so far, Minato had not allowed him to learn. Out of respect for his father, Naruto chose not to try and replicate the technique and wait for his father to give him permission.

To know that his father was ready to pass the jutsu onto him meant a lot to Naruto. It was like a validation of just how far he had come in the last few years.

"I'm sure you already know about the rasengan, since I've shown you many times before. Your mother and I think it's just about time you learn it."

Kushina was always thinking of Naruto and his progress. She worried over him constantly, since she worked so hard to help Naruto's dreams come true. In fact, it was thanks to Kushina's pressure that Minato had finally chosen to train Naruto in the technique.

"I'm ready, Tou-san."

The determination Naruto offered was powerful, enough for Minato to validate his choice.

"Mm. I know." In return, Minato offered him a bright smile.

Minato always had faith in his son, even after he heard of the experiments Orochimaru had done in the past—he knew Naruto was strong enough to get past all that.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

With an emphatic nod from Naruto, Minato took it as the signal to begin. Just because Naruto was his son did not mean he planned to hold back.

They would be at the training grounds until sundown if that was how long it was going to take.

* * *

><p>Father and son sat together on a tree branch, high above Konoha's Hokage Monument. Together, they gazed at the stars and shared light banter. Both of them were roughed up from the training of the day, and more than a little exhausted, but their shared success made the effort more than worth it.<p>

Naruto had successfully created his first rasengan, and many more after it. His raw talent for picking up new techniques was no exaggeration, but this was one technique he hoped Naruto would take farther to make it his own. There was potential there that Minato could not even begin to describe, and he had a feeling that his son was the one to unlock the secrets of the rasengan and not him.

In that case, Minato would have to take a turn as the student.

"I'm sure your mother is getting worried. We best head back soon," Minato said, though he made no move to get up.

"Yeah, but I think she can wait a little longer. This is nice."

"Well, it'll be both our heads that get hit if that's the case."

The two boys shared a laugh over the very realistic scenario should they choose to arrive too late. Kushina was frightening when she wanted to be; they did not call her the Red Hot Habanero for nothing.

"Naruto." When his father addressed him, he used a heavy tone. "There is a reason I taught you the rasengan today, and not yesterday or tomorrow."

"..." Naruto patiently waited for his father to continue.

"I'm going to be leaving again." Minato's trips were a common occurrence, though what he did while he was gone was anyone's guess. "Jiraiya, Kakashi, and I think we may have finally found what we've been looking for, so we are heading out together. That means the village is going to be without some of its best."

"But, Tou-san, you can always come back in a flash.."

"What if I couldn't, Naruto?" His father's response was unexpected, and Naruto had to think about it. "What if I was in a position I couldn't protect the village, what would you do?"

"Well, of course I would fight with everyone else.."

Naruto had never given the question much thought; embarrassingly enough, he always figured his father would lead everyone to victory. The question was something that was a possibility; the peace talks were going well, but any day a conflict could spark up again. As a jonin, it was his duty to be on the front lines and protect the village with all his strength, but he had never really imagined what would happen if war really did come to Konoha.

"Naruto, your mother and I always talk about where you might end up as a shinobi." Minato looked up at the stars as he gathered his thoughts. "She likes to think you are aiming for Hokage, but I'm not so sure. I think you still don't know what you want, right?"

Minato had hit the nail on the head. Despite his son's feverish attempts to become an exceptional shinobi and make the village proud, he had no goals past receiving that acknowledgment. And, Minato had a sneaking suspicion his son aimed for that admiration simply because he, as Hokage, had a reputation—Minato _was_ Naruto's goal, but every shinobi had to walk their own path, and he wanted to make sure his son was making the most of his life.

"Well, I guess I don't really know what I want to be." Naruto adjusted his hitai-ate, a habit he had acquired whenever he thought about something. "The only thing I really want is to protect Kaa-chan, and the village. I guess, the same job that you have always been doing."

Minato smiled at Naruto's simplification of the Hokage title—surprisingly accurate, if not missing a few political details. But, Naruto could accomplish the same goals without the stress and the missed opportunities that came with the responsibilities of Hokage.

If his son really did end up with the position, Minato could never be more proud. But, his son was still young—no matter how old he may have looked—and he had a lot to learn about the world, and his place in it. Minato worked every day to make sure he would have the opportunity to walk his own direction, and that was the real lesson he wanted to impart with his son at this crucial juncture in his life.

"Naruto, when I come back, I want you to give me an answer to my question." Their eyes met as Minato offered him a warming smile. "How will you protect Kushina and everyone in the village, if I'm not around?"

The question's multifaceted nature made it inherently difficult to offer an immediate response without preparation. But that was okay, since Naruto would have a lot of time to think.

Minato would ensure it.

* * *

><p>Hiruzen sat at the Hokage's desk as he reviewed some documents that had recently been sent over from the Daimyo. When Minato returned, he would have to review the budget again; a task the young man had little enthusiasm for. The thought of antagonizing his junior Hokage made the Sandaime inwardly chuckle as he prepared to head home, as it was close to midnight.<p>

"Hokage-sama!"

The door to the office swung open with great force after the muffled call came from the other side. From the darkened hallway emerged a bloodied and bruised Kakashi Hatake. His ANBU armor was ripped and shredded in a dozen places, and his sharingan eye was glazed over from exhaustion.

New presences arrived at the front of the room—ANBU guards alarmed by the sudden intrusion. Upon seeing Kakashi's haggard condition, they quickly went to aid the young man, but he brushed them away. Each step he took was a heavy toll on his body, but he had specifically called for Hiruzen and would accept no one else.

"Kakashi, what is going on?" Hiruzen knew very well nothing good had come of their last mission, if Kakashi's appearance was any indicator; Jiraiya and Minato were nowhere to be found either.

"The Yondaime-sama..Minato-sensei.." Kakashi fell to one knee, unable to walk farther.

Hiruzen got up from the desk and circled around to approach the fallen shinobi. He noticed that in the boy's hand was a small scroll, one that had a very recognizable seal. The Sandaime's mind began to race as he quickly pieced together the mission's events on his own.

"He asked me.." Rather than pause from exhaustion, Kakashi was holding back his sobs. "..he asked me to deliver this to you, no one else."

With all of his energy, Kakashi raised the arm that held onto the scroll. When Hiruzen went to take it, he had to practically pry the poor boy's fingers off of the rolled parchment.

To open the seal, the Sandaime inserted his own chakra into the ink and watched as the paper unfurled itself. With a quick eye, he quickly scanned what had been written and realized very quickly that the material was in itself, Minato's will. Something like this, for him to write it before the mission, meant that Minato really did track down Orochimaru and confront him.

"What about Minato, and Jiraiya?" The scroll offered details, but he wanted to hear it straight from Kakashi's mouth.

"I..I was fighting against Orochimaru's servants..when they all ran off." Kakashi tried to recount the events, but he was barely holding himself together.

"When I went after Minato-sensei, I found him on the ground...with a wound through the chest. Jiraiya-sama had been knocked unconscious."

"And Orochimaru?" The sacrifice was already too high, so he could only hope that it was enough.

"There was a body, a body that was definitely Orochimaru's." Kakashi confirmed.

"Alright, that's enough. Kakashi, we need to take you to the hospital." Hiruzen shook the boy's shoulder in an effort to rouse him from his thoughts. "You did well, making it this far."

Hiruzen signaled for the ANBU to follow his order, and they picked up the now cooperative Kakashi to take him to the medical shinobi. In the meantime, Hiruzen had to make certain arrangements, as per Minato's information in the scroll. Kakashi offered a short summary, but it seemed Minato had offered him much more detail in his final words.

At the end of the scroll, there was an additional seal labeled separately. It was some sort of sealing technique, to hold an item.

_For Naruto. When he is ready to answer._

Hiruzen did not exactly understand the context, but he understood Minato's intentions. With an application of chakra, he summoned the item and realized it was another scroll. This one was clearly a different design from Minato's, and showed signs of wear.

Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise.

Could it be, the scroll containing information about Naruto? When he tried to open it, he realized that it was sealed with an entirely different sealing method than usual. Hiruzen immediately recognized Uzumaki fūinjutsu, and knew that only Kushina would have a chance at cracking it. Minato must have applied it after recovering the scroll, but why? Were the details so sensitive that even the Sandaime could not be trusted?

If so, he feared the circumstances surrounding Naruto had become significantly worse than they had imagined.

* * *

><p>Atop Minato's head on the Hokage Monument, Naruto mourned his father's death alone. Clad in his dark funeral clothing, he had just recently parted ways with his mother after the village had finished mourning his father's passing. Right now, all he wanted was to be alone.<p>

All he could think about was the last conversation he had with his father, and how it had been so obvious that Minato had been expecting his own death. Had Naruto not been so blinded by his father's reputation, he might have been able to say something or offer to help. Instead, he ended up right where he was now, crying his eyes out over a loved one he was powerless to protect.

_How will you protect Kushina when I'm not around?_

Minato's words echoed in his head, as if to taunt him. Every time he thought of his father's gentle smile and reassuring words, he could not hold in his tears.

How was he supposed to give Minato an answer if he never came back? None of his efforts to that point mattered if he could not even protect one of the people most closest to him.

Naruto struggled to get a hold of himself. He was just going to make himself miserable, and he would just make it worse for his mother if he returned full of tears. Without Minato, it was up to him to protect her.

He brushed aside his tears and tried to figure out what his next move was. The last time he overheard the Sandaime talking to his mother, he had mentioned something about Minato's last words in a scroll. Unfortunately, his mother never brought up this information with Naruto, and neither had the Sandaime. Why did they not think he deserved to know the details around his father's death?

The thought that his father had left him a message that they were keeping from him was difficult to swallow. If his mother did not even believe in his ability to handle the information, what did that make all of his hard work up until that point?

Well, Naruto decided that if no one would answer his questions, he would get the answers himself. The Hokage's residence was not that far away, and he figured that he had enough time to try and find the scroll without the old man noticing.

A little bit of trouble was worth getting a lifetime of questions answered.

* * *

><p>Getting into the Hokage's residence was easy, as he had visited many times before. There was no security simply because no shinobi had a reason to break in; the Hokage did not carry anything valuable in his personal residence. The only reason his father's scroll was there, was because that had been the only place to leave it during the funeral procession.<p>

If it were ever sealed in the Hokage vault, then he would have a lot of trouble getting in, but he was not about to let it go that far. The scroll was just as much his own right as anyone else's, and so he would look at his father's words and make his own conclusion.

Naruto slipped into the private study and quickly found what he was looking for; a sealed scroll, a bit roughed up from the journey back to Konoha. He took the little thing into his hand and realized the seal on the lip was not his father's usual sealing technique. Rather, it was a variant of his mother's seal that his father had taught him, as a type of code to know when something was specifically meant for Naruto or Minato read between each other.

Naruto's eyes glistened as he realized his father had really meant for this to be unlocked and read by him first.

_Tou-san was thinking about me, even when he..._

Those thoughts were shook away as Naruto quickly applied his chakra and unsealed the barrier. The scroll then unlocked itself and unrolled to show a mess of writing that clearly was not Minato's. There were some short notes off to the side he recognized as his father's, commenting on the existing writing, but otherwise it was all from someone else.

Naruto's eyes traveled the document a few times, and he started to realize that it was some sort of journal of research notes. What kind of research, he had little idea, as many of the terms inside the text were out of his reach. Luckily, his father's notes acted as rough translations as he read further.

Apparently, the writer of the journal had been doing research on kekkei genkai, shinobi bloodlines. They were very interested in acquiring these powers for themselves, but they were especially interested in something called a Kekkei Tōta, an advanced form of kekkei genkai that manifested in a small group of shinobi naturally.

His father explained it using the Mokuton release as an example of a kekkei genkai, where two elements were infused naturally to create the advanced nature. The Jinton release, infamous in Iwagakure, was a Kekkei Tōta where three elements were combined to create it. So basically, an advanced form of nature release, if he understood his father correctly.

To try and harness the power, he had tried to infuse the blood of these rare shinobi into children. Most of the test subjects had died, but at least one survived. When he read his father's one word note next to that line, his blood ran cold.

_Naruto._

Then, this journal was all about the experiment being about him? He knew that somehow, someone had managed to forcefully accelerate his growth, but he did not know their identity nor did he know just what they did to him. The memories from those times had been lost with his rapid growth, the doctors explained.

So, if he was the subject of this experiment, did that mean he could use the Kekkei Tōta? Naruto realized that back in the academy, his nature affinity had tested strongly positive for three different elements: Doton, Suiton, and Raiton. The research said that these advanced forms of elements were generally made using three or more elements, so it made some sense.

But how had he not realized until now he had these abilities?

He had to read more, since it looked like the researcher went into detail about just what the Kekkei Tōta was. It kept referring to some element he had never heard of.

_Shōton._

How did that translate? His father must have been in the dark too, since he had no notes to elaborate. Maybe there were more details in the next-

"Naruto-kun, what do you think you're doing here?" The Sandaime's booming voice echoed throughout the study as Naruto was caught red handed.

He had been so focused on the scroll that he forgot to check his surroundings. The Hokage had easily slipped by and discovered him.

"Why was I not allowed to read this?" Rather than apologize, Naruto's frustrations boiled over.

"Read what? What do you-" The Sandaime recognized the scroll and his eyes visibly widened in surprise. "Kushina told me even she could not easily open that lock. How did you..."

"Hokage-sama, why..." Naruto rose to his feet and thrust the scroll out at the old man. "Was I not allowed to read this?!"

Hiruzen remained silent, as it was obvious Naruto was emotionally exhausted. Whatever had been on that scroll, was clearly something he needed to hear.

"I'm sorry Naruto...I will tell you the truth, so please calm down."

When Naruto hesitantly lowered the scroll and took a few shallow breaths, the Sandaime proceeded to explain. Since Minato had asked it to be given to Naruto when he was ready, Kushina and the Sandaime decided to wait until Naruto had recovered from the funeral to speak with him about the scroll and his father's final words. They did not want to give him too much information so soon after his father's death, lest he get overwhelmed.

"We did not want to push you into doing something you were not ready for. Now that I see your eagerness has gone past the point of breaking and entering, I know now you were ready to read this long before your father had passed."

Naruto's eyes were downtrodden as he realized that his actions had been too hasty. The Hokage offered him too much praise, as he really did feel weak in doing something so brash. His mother and father would surely be disappointed in him.

"I'm sorry, Sandaime-sama, I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright Naruto, we have all done questionable things to protect the ones we love." Hiruzen patted him on the shoulder. "You wanted to try and find the answer to your father's question, right?"

Naruto's eyes perked up. How did he-

"Hm." Hiruzen noticed Naruto's surprise. "It was in the other scroll, the one that had your father's final will, that he mentioned the question he posed to you before."

"He wanted me to help you with the answer, if I could." Minato was looking out for Naruto, even after his death.

"Sandaime-sama, I want to use this power to-"

"Hokage-sama!"

Naruto was interrupted from his emotional outburst by an ANBU. They knelt before Hiruzen with an immediate report.

"What is it? Can't you see we are discussing something imp-"

"Kushina-sama was attacked by an Iwagakure spy!"

The ANBU announced with an air of urgency. Both he and Naruto stiffened at hearing the words.

"What?!"

Sarutobi growled, as he had not expected to hear such things after they had worked so hard in the peace talks.

To attack Kushina at her weakest on a day like this. And Naruto-

When Hiruzen looked for the boy, he realized that Naruto had already left. The moment he heard his mother was in danger, he had leaped into action.

* * *

><p>"Kaa-chan!"<p>

Naruto leaped down from a nearby roof onto the street that his mother was on. His father had taught him long ago how to find his mother's chakra, no matter how far she may be. Being the Nine Tails jinchuuriki made it easy for them to keep track of her, thankfully.

Surrounding Kushina were three members of the ANBU. He recognized them as the group that had been personally assigned by his father to watch over his mother and him since he was a child. Weasel, Cat, and Gazelle; Kakashi was the only one missing.

Sure enough, nearby was the bleeding corpse of an enemy shinobi. Whatever transformation jutsu they had been using had already disappeared, as they were again wearing their village's iconic red one-sleeve uniform.

"Naruto!"

Kushina pushed her way through the ANBU's formation and embraced her son. She was still in her funeral clothes, which meant she had not even made it home before the attack. Naruto tightened his fists in anger, at both Iwa and himself. If he had not been so selfish, he could have been there to protect her.

Naruto wrapped his arms around his mother and held her close. He had already lost one parent, and he had no intentions of losing the other. No matter what happened, he would protect Kushina. If not for the village's safety, then simply because he could not live without her.

Naruto's accelerated growth meant that he never really fit in with any of the age groups he had interacted with. He never got to grow up with a generation of his own, and so in turn he had few real connections with his peers. The only friends he ever had were the shinobi that had some friendship with his mother and father, and even then, that was a small group of close acquaintances.

His mother really was his most important person left in Konoha.

At that moment, as he held his mother, he could not help but look over her shoulder toward the ANBU. They had gathered in a wide formation to protect the two Uzumaki, so he could only see their backs. When he first saw them protecting his mother, his immediate response was to be grateful to them for their presence.

The ANBU had always been there, protecting him and his mother. They protected the village where others could not, against the strongest enemies because they themselves were some of the strongest the village had to offer.

And it was then that Naruto realized something. He had the answer to his father's question. His heart filled with determination as he knew he had to meet with the Sandaime as soon as possible.

* * *

><p>"And so, you want to join the ANBU?" The Sandaime had heard Naruto out, and summarized his request in a few short words.<p>

"Yes, sir."

Naruto stood before the Hokage in his office, having left his mother in the capable hands of her protectors for a few short hours. It had been a few days since the incident, and Naruto had finally made up his mind. To protect the village, he would do so by joining the strongest organization he knew of in the village.

Kakashi had done the same thing and for the same reason, so he knew he had to be making the right choice.

Hiruzen sighed. While he was glad to see Naruto was finally showing some interest outside of his so far narrow career in the Regular Forces, he had not anticipated his interest in the ANBU. To be honest, he wanted to fight Naruto's request, simply because he knew the life of an ANBU was not something everyone could handle. He doubted Minato wanted that kind of solitary life for his son, either.

"Naruto, your mother and father would never forgive me if I put you into such a dangerous position before you unlocked your full potential."

Hiruzen had heard from Naruto afterward about the details of the second scroll, and he knew very well the value that Naruto now had as a Kekkei Tōta user.

"Please, stay in the Regular Forces and unlock your abilities. Then, consider a position in the ANBU."

Naruto figured the Hokage would fight him. It was hard to believe that Hiruzen would not fight someone making such a difficult decision, to join the ANBU. He would admit that he did not know a lot of the details about them, but he did know they were strong, and that he wanted to become strong.

And, he wanted to remain close and protect his mother.

"My life is already in danger as a jonin of the village, especially if I'm taking missions outside the village alone."

He would be a drain on the village's resources if he did not go on missions as a jonin, especially in the aftermath of the Third Shinobi War. That was his responsibility as a shinobi in the Regular Forces, but that was not what he wanted to become. He knew what he wanted to do now, and that was protect the _village_ and its people from the worst of the worst—just like his father did.

"Without my father around, my mother will be in a considerable amount of danger. There isn't a position I can fill in the Regular Forces that would excuse me from missions and let me stay near my mother, but there is an ANBU squad dedicated to protecting her that I could join."

"And, considering the training ANBU generally go under, I feel like I could learn about my abilities faster with them as my training partners."

They may not know how to teach him about his bloodline, but they could push him in the right direction.

"If it's the loneliness you are worried about, then I can admit I'm already lonely." The Hokage stiffened after hearing Naruto's honest answer. "If I join an organization like the ANBU, I might actually meet people that I can talk to. And, if I'm protecting my mother, I can always be around her."

There was a long pause before Hiruzen leaned back into his chair. There were no words he could use to refute Naruto's effort to convince him. Perhaps, like Kakashi before him, the ANBU would shape him into something even better.

"Very well, Naruto. You've made your point clear." Hiruzen nodded, affirming his agreement. "I'll allow you to join the organization, and I'll put you on your mother's protection detail. Perhaps you may learn something with this experience, after all."

He could only hope Kushina felt similarly. Hiruzen knew she would not take the news well.

"Thank you very much."

Naruto bowed and quickly left the office with a satisfied look. He had a few preparations he had to take care of before he could proceed.

* * *

><p>Located beneath Konoha, the ANBU black ops had dug their headquarters into the roots of the trees in the Forest of Death. A fitting cover, if one had any appreciation for dark humor.<p>

Naruto carried the box of his new belongings to one of the darkened locker rooms. From the quartermaster, he had received his new uniform, as well as his mask. He had already received a summons from his squad leader, so Naruto wasted little time in stripping his Konoha jonin uniform off.

Carefully, he slipped on the black undershirt and pants. Next, he pulled on the leather sandals and their shin extension. The forearm gloves and arm guards fit on after a little bit of tightening. The lightweight chest piece was next, and Naruto fixed the clasps so they locked on tight. His new katana and equipment pouches were easily slipped over his clothing to finish his arsenal.

The only thing left was Naruto's mask. Each ANBU was given a code name to be referred to while on duty and in public, to keep their identities secret. The Sandaime had clearly chosen Naruto's because of his mother, as he received a fox mask with the name "Kit." The designs were simple orange whisker marks over a nondescript animal face mask made of porcelain, just like everyone else's.

He slipped the mask on, but felt little discomfort. Somehow, Naruto felt like it belonged right where it was. When he got the chance to look at himself in the mirror, his chest swelled with a bit of pride.

_Tou-san, look at me now.._

Naruto wasted no more time and proceeded to the meeting point given to him by the Hokage. Through the halls, he noticed a few other ANBU who paid him little mind. He wondered if they had been made aware of his recruitment, but pressed onward regardless.

They would find out soon enough, if they had not already.

Finally, Naruto reached the room in question and knocked a few times. When he heard no answer, he figured he had arrived early and entered.

"Excuse my..." Naruto was mostly saying the phrase to himself when he realized there actually was someone inside.

Before him was Itachi Uchiha, who apart from her black bodysuit, was out of uniform and in the process of changing. The squad leader, the silent guardian that had been watching him and his mother for the past five years, stood in half dress. Her long black hair that was usually tied up in a ponytail was right now allowed to fall free to the small of her back.

Immediately, he had grabbed her attention as red sharingan eyes locked on him. When she recognized him, either by his blonde hair or perhaps something else, she quickly relaxed.

Naruto had always thought of Itachi as a distant person who had no interest in people. She never made conversation with his family like Kakashi did on occasion, so he assumed she did not like them.

That was why he was so surprised to see her offer him one of the kindest smiles he had ever seen, especially after he had been the one to intrude on her. Her friendly gesture was so genuine, Naruto had trouble figuring out whether he should stay or leave.

"Welcome, Naruto-kun. I wasn't expecting you to arrive so early." Not a shred of animosity or disapproval in her tone.

Naruto wondered how such a person could be an ANBU. Were they not supposed to be rough and uncompromising in their duty? The offset personality actually made him feel a little relieved.

His silence only served to amuse her more, as she began to chuckle at his expense.

Thankfully, his mask hid his childish blush. He wondered how often he would be saved in such a way by his new uniform, under the constant teasing of his new leader.

* * *

><p><em>I've always wanted to write a story where Naruto was predominantly a member of the ANBU for the storyline, but I could never find a place for it. The theme was played around with in Uzumaki Clan Rebirth, but I never really expanded on it.<em>

_As you can see, the story doesn't just change Naruto's position in Konoha but the world itself is very different. That is a common theme for me, since I find it a lot more interesting to come up with new and exciting content to read, so that way you won't know what to expect._

_However, I will say that Akatsuki and even Orochimaru are not scripted to be the overarching villains of this timeline. I'm taking inspiration from one of my other stories for the antagonist this time around, since I never got to fully show them off._

_The pairing is strictly NaruxFemIta, but there is going to be some buildup. I would like to write it so that they get married prior to an epilogue, as I personally like stories that show the relationship in action rather than strictly leave it to reader imagination._ _Roughly speaking, Naruto and Itachi are the same age in the current timeline which will be clarified in later chapters._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**


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